A summary: By the time Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated the US already began falling apart and splitting into the confederacy and the union. In April of 1961 confederate troops opened fire on northern troops sparking the great American Civil War. By the time the war was over 620,000 men were killed and nearly 4 million slaves had gained freedom. Before the war slavery was a big topic in literature, drawing attention of many famous authors, such as Thoreau. It also generated some of the first literature by African Americans. Slavery and the Civil War started a new generation of literature.
The new literature: Stemming from the works of Henry Thoreau and others many African Americans began to use Thoreau's points in "Civil Disobedience" to breed a new types of literature. The literature consisted of hardships of slavery and new ideas of civil rights. Whitman also used poems like " O' Captain, my captain" to reference the civil war. Later on MLK and Malcolm X and others used this new breed of literature to balance the civil rights movement with historical backing.
The new literature: Stemming from the works of Henry Thoreau and others many African Americans began to use Thoreau's points in "Civil Disobedience" to breed a new types of literature. The literature consisted of hardships of slavery and new ideas of civil rights. Whitman also used poems like " O' Captain, my captain" to reference the civil war. Later on MLK and Malcolm X and others used this new breed of literature to balance the civil rights movement with historical backing.